NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t

RADIO TIMES The Academy Awards are on Sunday night which seems like a perfect excuse to talk about one of our favorite topics — movies! Tune-in to hear Marty preview the picks with SAM ADAMS, film writer for the Philadelphia City Paper, and MATT PRIGGE, film writer for the Philadelphia Weekly Phawker. FRESH AIR The Queen is nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. The director is Stephen Frears, who previously gave us My Beautiful Laundrette, High Fidelity and Dirty, Pretty Things, among other films. PLUS DAVID EDELSTEIN on Oscar contenders in the two categories devoted to […]

HIZZONER ’07: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

By CATHERINE LUCEY & BOB WARNER LAST NIGHT, Philadelphia’s five mayoral candidates were asked how they would stem the city’s tide of violence. One would declare an emergency. One promises job training. One wants to reverse the mind-set of violence. One said education, not crime, is the issue. And one didn’t show up. Crime — considered the No. 1 issue to voters — was the focus of a mayoral forum held last night at St. Joseph’s University and sponsored by the school’s Institute of Violence Research and Prevention. The above responses were, in order, from: former Councilman Michael Nutter, businessman […]

CENTENNIAL: Ben Franklin Parkway Turns 100

Dignitaries gathered at 22nd and the Parkway to bury a time capsule to mark the occasion. As the skies opened up, a modern-day Ben Franklin led a ceremony to bury a time capsule containing what quickly became soggy items from places like the Free Library and the Franklin Institute: “We’ll ask each of the people from the institutions just to throw a little dirt!” One hundred years ago, demolition to build the Parkway began. Among those donning bowler hats for the event was state senator Vince Fumo, showing good humor despite facing federal corruption charges: “I’m going to start charging […]

WARNING: Cute Little Baby Seals Washing Up On NJ Shore Could Be Trap, DO NOT HUG! DO NOT HUG!

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, New Jersey has its hands full right now, with more than half a dozen stranded baby seals. Eight baby seals have washed up on the Jersey shore in the last couple weeks. Bob Schoelkopf of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center says four were found along the beaches from Long Branch to Wildwood in the last two weeks. He says when seals remain on shore after resting for the night, it usually means they are sick or injured, like one pup: “…has a scar across his face now, two scars, which we believe may […]

JUNK SCIENCE: BATTLEFIELD EARTH

BY ELIZABETH FIEND Sadly, we hear each day about the horrible human toll of war — the body counts, the amputees learning to cope, the countless and nameless children ravaged by the violence, rendered orphans or worse. War is hell on earth, of course. But war is also hell on The Earth, too. You may not be aware of just how toxic and devastating is the footprint that the military-industrial complex leaves behind on Battlefield Earth. Agent Orange, rocket fuel, lead, mercury, petroleum, asbestos, countless carcinogenic solvents. This toxic stew settles into the soil in which we grow our food, […]